Key Events

That's your lot!

That’s it. We’re all wrapped up here.Chairman Coun Joe Clifford wraps up the meeting by clarifying that the full decision will be circulated to all parties, and available online within 14 days.Thanks for joining us!

15:20

Was there a smear campaign?

6) Whether there was a public smear campaign against the football club’s owners.

We have concluded there is no evidence that councillors instigated a public smear campaign against the complainants.”

15:19

Did councillors make inappropriate comments?

5) Whether the councillors had made inappropriate or defamatory comments.

We do not consider that the comments made by either councillor amounted to a breach of the code of conduct.”

15:18

'No failure to make decisions in objective way'

4) Failure by councillors to make a decision objectively and in without bias.

We find there was no failure to make decisions in an objective and unbiased way.”

15:17

Third finding

3) Whether the relevant interests had been declared by Coun Mutton.

We have concluded that Coun Mutton did not fail to disclose his interests”.

15:15

Was Coun Mutton's conduct unacceptable?

2) Whether Coun Mutton’s conduct was unacceptable?

We find there’s insufficient evidence to show Coun Mutton’s behaviour was unacceptable.”

15:14KEY EVENT

Six findings

We’re back underway and chairman Coun Joe Clifford is reading out the committee’s six findings.1) The question of whether the investigator’s report was flawed:”We find the investigator’s report was sufficient for the purpose of establishing whether any breaches of the council’s code of conduct had occurred.”

Back underway shortly

In the meanwhile, refresh yourself and read about the ethics committee hearing’s first session back in November here.

12:28

We'll be back

We should be back in at about 3pm.

12:27KEY EVENT

Conclusion

Ken Sloan, the panel’s independent member, said he supported the recommendation of the council’s monitoring officer that the complaint was investigated by the ethics committee despite the fact the last incident was over two years before the complaint was submitted by Sisu.Coun Clifford says we’ve come to the conclusion of the hearing.

He places his thanks on record to the parties involved.

He wants people to read the documents on the council’s website as well as the Telegraph’s coverage.

They will now discuss the complaint privately before making the decision. We’re being kicked out!

12:22

'Clearly a media campaign'

Sisu lawyer says she’s even more firmly of the view there’s been a breach of the council’s code of conduct hearing everything she’s heard today.

She says there was “clearly a media campaign” and that “councillors were at least aware of what was being said on the PR and comms front.”

12:17KEY EVENT

Here we go again...

We’re back underway.

Mr Goacher summing up the findings in his report which clear Coun Mutton and Coun Lucas of wrongdoing.

He says he “stands by the findings”.

He says:

We’ve heard a lot about the press smear campaign which seems to be based on pieced together bits of information, none of which relates to these councillors. There’s not even an inkling that they were involved, if such a campaign even existed.”

12:13

Why have one live-blog when you could have two?

While we have a break here, why not head over to Coventry City FC’s pre-match press conference ahead of their clash with Barnsley in League One tomorrow night?

Aidan McCartney is bringing you all the updates from a live-blog here.

We’ll have coverage of you from the match tomorrow night, as the Sky Blues host the Tykes with kick-off coming at 7.45pm.

12:06

Coffee break

We’re having a brief coffee break! Watch this space.

12:05

Mutton admits 'Sisu Out' chant

Coun Mutton says one “red herring” is that there’s a connection between the Alan Edward Higgs Trust and the Higgs Centre Trust other than a mortgage.

He says this underlines there was no real conflict of interest.

Image 11 for 'Sisu at Coventry City' gallery

He says he has never received a penny from his role as a trustee of the Higgs Centre Trust.Speaking about the claims he chanted “Sisu Out” at one match, Coun Mutton said:

Yes I did join in the chant, it wasn’t as a councillor, it certainly wasn’t as leader of the council.

It was as someone who has supported the club since seven years of age and was a season ticket holder that had seen the club go downhill rapidly during that time.”

12:02

More from Coun Mutton

Explaining the “Sisu is a predator with greed running through its DNA comment, Coun Mutton said:

The greed comments were made under parliamentary privilege by Bob Ainsworth in parliament. The question asked of me by Shane O’Connor (on BBC Coventry and Warwickshire) was would I have made those comments outside of parliamentary privilege?

I said I didn’t know, but if I was in Bob Ainsworth’s position I would have.”

Coun John Mutton

Coun Mutton says: “I’ll be careful how I word this, I’m married!” before going on to explain that the reported hug with Ms Seppala at the end of one meeting wasn’t a one off example of how they had communicated in the past, citing a lunch invitation to the club with another Councillor and gifts of team replica shirts from the team which they had returned as not being appropriate during negotiations.

11:57

Mutton speaks

Coun Mutton accuses Sisu of putting out a lot of “red herrings”.

He said: “I believe there’s been a deliberate attempt to confuse the role of the council and the role of ACL and politicians.”

He adds:

I was never rude to Ms Seppala or anyone else, in spite of some of the provocation we received in the media from Tim Fisher and the enormous amount of comments he made in the press.

I never instigated or participated in a public smear campaign, but told the truth as I saw it.”

11:56

Why did council officer say they should 'go on the offensive'?

Coun Andrews asks why Mr Goacher didn’t ask for context of why a council officer reportedly said the council should “go on the offensive” with Sisu in the press.

Council House, Coventry

Mr Goacher says he didn’t believe the meeting where she was supposed to have made these comments would have been properly minuted as it was a private member briefing.

11:44

'Disturbing e-mail'

Coun Andrews now looking at the alleged “media war” against Sisu.

Tim Fisher and Joy Seppala at the Ricoh ahead of the Sky Blues' homecoming match against Gillingham

He looks through Weber Shandwick emails.

He asks who is being encouraged by the PR firm to launch a “PR strategy” - he says “presumably it means ACL”?

He says an email referencing that Joy Seppala’s address is available online is “disturbing”.

The email went on to say that someone working in the press at the time was keen to doorstep Ms Seppala.Mr Goacher said it was his view that any PR activity was being signed off by ACL, rather than the council directly.

11:39

Code of conduct there to 'govern behaviour'

Tory Coun Allan Andrews is now looking at the press comments made by Coun Mutton.

Coventry city councillors John Mutton and Ann Lucas

He asks why they were not considered a breach of the code.

Mr Goacher says:

The code of conduct is there to govern behaviour. Coventry has a section in its code about respect, not all do.

In relation to public comment, what the law strives to achieve is a balance where people are allowed to express themselves in a way which allows robust discussion of matters in the public interest.”

He adds: “Some of Coun Mutton’s comments get close to the line, I don’t think they cross it.”

11:36

Coun Lucas turns down opportunity to ask Mr Goacher any questions

Sisu lawyer has wrapped up.

Coun Lucas turns down opportunity to ask Mr Goacher any questions.

Coun Mutton asks how he had failed to declare an interest as he was a trustee of The Higgs Centre Trust.

He insists that interest had only ceased to have been declared in 2012 because it was not a pecuniary interest and he was no longer required to register it.

Mr Goacher says in other authorities it wouldn’t have had to have been registered, but under Coventry’s code it should have been.

It’s possible the form used played a part in it not being registered he said.

11:33

Ken Sloan now asking questions

Independent ethics panel member Ken Sloan is now asking questions of Mr Goacher.

He asks about some people present in meetings where the behaviour complained about allegedly took place but not interviewed.

Mr Goacher clarifies those people were there “at the invitation of Sisu”.

11:30

'Sisu predator with greed running through'

Mr Goacher, again speaking about Coun Mutton’s comment that “Sisu is a predator with greed running through its DNA.”

Mr Goacher says: “You don’t accept it’s true, but some council officers feel the strategy Sisu has adopted is one where it’s trying to obtain a commercial advantage through Ricoh Arena which is not in the commercial interests of the council.”

He says it’s not a gratuitous personal comment because “it’s a true expression of how he feels the commercial interactions have gone between the council and Sisu.”

11:24

'Lack of respect' from Coun Mutton

Sisu lawyer asks: “Who should take responsibility for the comments we complain about, the councillors or Coventry City Council?”

Mr Goacher said: “The individuals that made those.”

He says it’s his opinion that they did not break the code of conduct.Asked again if they amounted to a lack of respect, Mr Goacher said of the “Sisu greed” comment: “Frustration makes the comments less temperate than they may otherwise be. There is a lack of respect on behalf of councillor Mutton but they are made by a councillor in a political context which means they do not amount to a breach of the code.”

11:15

Was there a media campaign against Sisu?

Sisu lawyer asks if there was a media campaign by the council against Sisu in the view of Mr Goacher.

He said:

There was certainly a recognition of the council needing to put out a position in relation to a high profile building.”

11:10

Mutton remarks NOT breach of code of conduct

Mr Goacher says he assumes remarks from Coun Mutton had not been signed off by the council’s media department, but that they were not a breach of the council’s code of conduct.

Mr Goacher says council officer’s email which mentions “going on the offensive with Sisu” had to be seen in the context of the relationship with the football club at the time.

He adds: “The language in that email was perhaps not the best way of putting it when a public authority is speaking about dealing with the press”.

Did Coun Mutton show lack of respect?

Mr Goacher says Coun Duggins was making similar comments and no complaint was made against him.

He adds:

I don’t accept that time is irrelevant. If the behaviour was as bad as you now say it was, you wouldn’t have waited three years to make a complaint about it.”

11:05

Length of time 'irrelevant'

Sisu lawyer said then length of time it took to make the complaint “Isn’t relevant”.

Ricoh Arena

She asks why more people were not interviewed.

Mr Goacher explains that he felt he interviewed everyone he needed to and interviewing anyone else wouldn’t have “added any value”.

10:59

Mr Goacher finishes

Independent report author Mr Goacher says he believes the evidence shows the council was seeking to respond to comments made in the media by the football club, rather than leading any media campaign.

Looking at comments made, particularly those made by Coun Mutton, Mr Goacher says:

I think the comments need to be seen in the context of the position the council thought they were in.”

He adds that Coun Mutton told him they were his “honestly held beliefs.”

He says those comments were “closest to the line”.

But as there’s little scope for restrictions on political speech about topics in the public interest, it wouldn’t be right to find against him for making those comments.

Mr Goacher said it is not unusual that the council would seek media advice in the position they were in.

The Ricoh Arena dispute had been covered in the press for a long time, and continues to be.

But he says that doesn’t mean they didn’t act correctly as he believe the council and the councillors’ decisions were driven by its desire to “act to protect their commercial interest”.

Mr Goacher has now finished.

10:54

Mr Goacher begins

Weber Shandwick emails are now being mentioned.

Mr Goacher says the evidence is that Coun Mutton and Con Lucas were not involved in direct discussions with Weber Shandwick, he adds he’s seen nothing in the ethics committee hearing that makes him doubt that.

He says the point of the investigation was not to “go on a fishing expedition to find something that might stick to those members”.